Vacuum street-cleaning machine.



E. E. JOHNSGN.

VACUUM STREET CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2. 1912.

. ,252,95 Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

o X0 1N N @l N "s Q) s w @3% N Ogb 1\ N` s 'L-i f im EL-, N H n) MF1.

\ 1i lll N R Q WTNEEEEE. NvENTEn E. E. JOHNSON.

VACUUM STREET CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR- 2' 1912.

Batented Jan. 8, 1918.

WTNEEEE- W E. E. JOHNSON.

VACU UM STREET CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APILz. 1912.

l ,252,95, Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Q/ I a Y "i Jr," I I L |"I. Img I Iv I|IIIIIIIIII 1.4 I a 2l.' WTNEEEEE NVENTQF y FFIE.

EDDIE E. JOHNSON, OF'TOLEDO, OHIO.

VACUUM STREET-CLEANING- MACHINE.

Speoioation of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

Application led April 2, 1912. Serial No; 687,955.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDDIE E. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful- Improvements in Vacuum Street-Cleaning Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in a vacuum street cleaning machine, and has for its object to provide a machine ofthe kind that is adapted; (l), to draw air at high velocity through a nozzle extended and movable by the machine over a surface that is to be cleaned, and at greatly reduced' velocity into and through a receiver of large capacity, and having screens of large area, whereby loose dirt and dust on the surface is carried into the receiver and retained therein, and (2), to provide a self propelling machine with a sectional suction nozzle that is adjustable to either arched or level surfaces over which the machine is passing.

I accomplish these objects by the construction and combination of parts as hereinafter described and illustrated in the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a street cleaning machine constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same with a portion of the hood broken away.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the front end and -nozzle of the machine.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the same.'

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the nozzle.

Fi 6 is a detail of a flexible joint of the nozz e ipes, and

Figg is a section on the line VII-VII Fig. 5.

In the drawings 1 designates the frame, and 2 the wheels of an auto-truck running gear, upon which is mounted the air tight receiver and separator 3, the -air pump 4, and the' asolene engine 5, adapted to both propel t e running gear and operate the pumps, the engine 5 being connected to the rear wheels 2 by the exibleshaft 6, the

, transmission gear 7, the differential gear 8,

the jack shafts 9, andthe chainbelts 10, and

to the pumps 4 by the pinion` 11 fand the ear.

wheels 12, adapted to reduce the spee of the pumps below the speed of the engine.

To the front end of thev frame 1 is journaled, in bracket bearings 13, the alined rock shafts 14, and the intermediate shaft 14. The shafts 14 are-each journaled in a pair of bracket bearings 13, and the intermediate shaft 14 is journaled in suitable socket bearings formed in the inner ends of the shafts 14.

On the outer end portions of the shafts 14 are mounted the rock arms 15, to the free ends of which are pivotally connected the upper ends of the link rods 16 and 16. The intermediate shaft 14 is provided with a rock arm 15', to the free end' of which is pivotally connected the upper ends of a pair of link rods 17, each having a branch 17 curved downward from the lower end portion thereof.

18 designates a pair of nozzle plates. Each nozzle plate is formed of an angle plate'having the horizontal portion a, the vertical portion b extending upward from the portion a, and the portion c extending forward from the top of portion b. To the lugs a and b respectively on the outer ends of the portions a and b, are pivotally connected the ends of the links 16 and 16', and to the lugs a and b of the inner ends of the portions a and b respectively, are connected the lower ends of the link rods 17, and their branch arms 17 The nozzle plates 18 are also connected to the forward axle 19 of the runnin gear, by the truss links 19', which hold t e nozzle plates at a distance forward of the axle and the front wheels, and permit the adjustment of the nozzle plates 18 upward and downward by the rock arms 15, and the links 16, 16', and 17.

To the underside of the portions a of the nozzle plates 18, transverse each end ortion, are secured the shoe runners 21, and to the portion c of each nozzle plate 18 is xedly secured a brush 21 extending downward therefrom in front of the shoes 21.

On the inner end portions of the rock shafts 14 are mounted the adjustin levers 22, and central of the shaft 14 the a justing lever 22', all of which extend upward through the forward end portion 23 of the main frame, provided with a foot board 24 and dash 25, rearward of which is a drivers seat 26,- forward of the hood 27, inclosing the pumps 4 and the engines 5 and extending rearward to the receiver and separator. On the forward end ortion 23 of the main frame is also suitab y mounted a steering wheel and post 28, which is suitably connected by means not shown with the steering knuckles of the front axle.

The portion a of each nozzle plate 18 is provided with a longitudinal and central suction slot 29.

To the top of the portions a of the nozzle plates 18 there are secured the flanges 30, of the sections 30 of the suction pipes 31, each having front and rear sides that extend lengthwise of tle plates 18 with their inner faces respectively flush with the front and'rear edges of the suction slot 29, and with inwardly and upwardly converging rounded end portions, continuous with the front and rear sides thus forming suction nozzles, each section 30 being curved rearward and gradually assuming a cylindrical form at the rear end portion. The sections 30 are jointed at their rear ends, as hereinafter described, to the main suction pipes 31, which extend rearward beneath the front axle 19 and are curved upward by an elbow through the frame 1, one on each side of the engines 5, and then again curvedrearward and upward to connection with thereceiver and separator 3, and having-a portion 31 extending into the receiver and curved slightly downward.

The receiver and separator 3 is a rectangular box of suiicient cubic`capacity to receive a load commensurate with the carrying capacity of the truck running gear, whereby as the truck is moved along a street loose dirt and dust on the surface is drawn through the nozzle plates 18 and the pipes 31 into the receiving box 3 and the dust is separated from the air by the screens and retained in the receiving box 3. The fabric screen t is loosely imposed on the metallic screen h whereby the movement of the air ment.

through the screens and the jolting of the truck gear in running over a street agitates the screen i and prevents the adherence of the dust thereto in quantities suiiicient to clog it.

The sections 30 are flexibly jointed to the pipes 3l, to permit pivotal up and down movement of the sections 30', and at the same time to permit slight rotary move- To permit these4 movements, the

. pipes 31 have their forward end portions slightly liared upward and downward without increasing their horizontal diameters, and are perforated-to receive horizontally arranged pivot bolts L. The rear end portions of the sections 30 are provided at opposite diametric points with slots L to receive 'the pivot bolts L -when telescoped into the flared end portions of the pipes 31, and at a suitable distance from the joint thus formed there is clamped to the pipes 31,

and the sections 30', by clamp collars 35,1111@ end portions respectively of the flexible to be ropelled over a streetsurface at slow.

speed y its engines, which at the same time operate the air pumps, whereby, as the nozzle plates 18 are pushed forward of the machine over the surface, preceded by the brush 21', (which is adjusted to lightly touch the surface and loosen the dirt adhering thereto), the loosened dirt and dust is drawn into and retained by the receiver and separator 3.

As constructed, either of the nozzle plates 18, may be raised at its outer end bythe lever-22 that is connected thereto, or the inner ends of both nozzle plates 18 may be raised together by the lever 22 whereby the nozzle plates are made adjustable at will to the crown of the street or to avoidslight obstructions in its path intermediate the shoes, or to be raised from or lowered to the surface.

`What I claim to be new is:

1. 1n a vacuum street cleaning machine, the combination with a wheel su ported truck frame and a receiving truc body mounted on the truck frame, of a pair of elongated nozzles alined end to end transversely below the frame and movable on runners and in communication with said body, links connecting the nozzles with the truck frame whereby the nozzles are moved along over the surface of the ground by the truck frame, means to raise the outer. end

of either nozzle, and means to jointly raisetheir inner ends whereby both nozzles may be partly or wholly raised from the surface of the ground. Y

2. 1n a vacuum streetcleaning machine, the combination with a wheel supported truck frame and a receiver body mounted on Ithe frame of a pair of runner supported elongated nozzle plates, arranged end to end transversely below the truck frame, each nozzle plate being provided with a central longitudinal slot, links connecting each nozzle late with the truck frame and adapted fto yieldingly move the nozzle plates along with the truck frame, iiexible pipe connecting means between the nozzle plates and the receiving body, means to independently lraise the outer end of each nozzle plate, and means to jointly raise the inner ends of the nozzle plates, whereby each nozan elongated nozzle plate having an upright central longitudinal portion, and horizontal .side portions extending from the upper and lower edges of the central portion in opposite directions, the lower one of said side portionsbeing provided with a central longitudinal slot and with runners transverse its end portions adapted to support its lower face slightly above the ground, and a brush secured to the lower face of the other side portion and extending longitudinally thereof parallel with the central portion.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at Toledo, Ohio, this 30th day of March, 1912, in presence of twol subscribing witnesses.

EDDIE E. JOHNSON.

In presence 01E- W. J. BELINGSLEA, vMACK WINCHESTER. 

